Corporate and Foundation Relations 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
From Our Executive Director
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he URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations finished off another productive year. Corporate and foundation giving totaled close to $10 million (including gifts in kind) in calendar year 2021, which represents a 104 percent increase in giving from last year. In addition, 123 proposals were submitted through our office for a variety of projects, programs, and initiatives across the University. Support for URI from private and family foundations came from both Rhode Island-based organizations such as the Rhode Island Foundation (including significant gifts made from donor-advised funds), the Champlin Foundation (see pg. 3), and the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, as well as regional and national organizations such as the Democracy Fund, the Teagle Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Corporate giving continues to have a significant impact on the University. The Corporate and Foundation Relations team continues to increase corporate giving to URI with contributions from long-time supporters and partners such as HarborOne, CVS Health, and Hasbro, Inc. URI has also received support from large national companies like Google and IBM (see pg. 4) for new activities and programs taking place at URI. In addition, our team continues to play an important role in the submission and development of the University proposal to the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge program (see pg. 5). The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations is currently working on finding corporate matching dollars to support the creation of a RI Blue Economy Technology Cluster. We are confident, given the level of proposal activity and collaboration across the University, that 2022 will be a great year for corporate and foundation gifts to URI. The work that we do, promoting corporate and foundation funding opportunities to members of the University community and partnering with them to access and win grant funding, is an increasingly vital component in elevating the reputation of URI. On a broader level, philanthropic support from corporations and foundations plays a significant role in supporting faculty and students across URI and in enhancing the overall academic experience at the University. In the year ahead, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations will continue to focus on establishing new foundation relationships and new corporate partnerships with the goal of securing future support for the University. We look forward to continuing to meet with administrators, faculty, staff, and students so that we may work together to provide important opportunities for all of URI. Please reach out to any member of the Corporate and Foundation Relations team if you have questions or would like to know more about what we do and the impact we have on URI. On behalf of the entire Corporate and Foundation Relations team, we look forward to working with you again in 2022! Sincerely,
Katharine Hazard Flynn Executive Director Corporate and Foundation Relations
URI photo by PETER GOLDBERG
Photo courtesy of NORA LEWIS
URI receives $563,706 in grants from The Champlin Foundation for cutting-edge technologies
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he Champlin Foundation has awarded $563,706 to the University of Rhode Island for advanced technologies that will enhance learning for students in a variety of disciplines. The Champlin Foundation, one of the oldest philanthropic organizations in Rhode Island, has funded projects at URI for more than 30 years that total more than $15 million. This year the organization supported three proposals submitted by a range of URI colleges and programs, including engineering, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, neuroscience, the Graduate School of Oceanography, and the theatre department. “The Champlin Foundation has consistently invested in technology that better prepares URI students to successfully enter their professions and grow within their fields,” said Laura Beauvais, URI interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Our faculty are on the cutting-edge of the evolution of technology and know what our students need to expand their intellectual, entrepreneurial, and creative mindsets. We are delighted that The Champlin Foundation is encouraging and supporting this environment of continuous learning.” “The Champlin Foundation has been a long-standing generous supporter of the educational needs of URI students for more than 30 years,” said Katharine Hazard Flynn, executive director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement. “While their technology investments are often focused on the hard sciences, this year, we are particularly excited that The Champlin Foundation has also provided resources to support the technology of our arts community, specifically the theatre department. These new resources will enhance the building and renovation of the Fine Arts building.”
Projects funded this year: Training Students in Turbulence Measurement with Laser Doppler Velocimetry: $197,406 to acquire a Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) System to educate students in the measurement of fluid turbulence properties. The equipment will provide hands-on investigative learning and complement challenging theoretical concepts that have widespread engineering applications. It will benefit about 125 students each year, providing skills that will make them more competitive in the job market. Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM): Harnessing HighPrecision Single-Cell Technology: $179,500 to acquire this highly sophisticated technology for students enrolled in pharmacy, biological sciences, neuroscience, engineering, and bioinformatics to gain conceptual, practical, and analytical training. They will study cell arrangements in tissues, cell structures, and complex biological communities by isolating individual cells or cell structures from a sample with ultimate precision, and then examine the genetic blueprint of only these collected cells. This is technology in which students need to be fluent to enter today’s biomedical workforce. Theatrical and Live-Entertainment Technologies: LED Ellipsoidals and Moving Lights: $186,800 to bring cuttingedge lighting technologies and production experiences, updating and enhancing our degree programs with current core competencies within the industry. URI Theatre educates more than 675 students per year via direct, hands-on experiences in all aspects of live theatre production, and produces four mainstage and several smaller productions that attract thousands of community members each year. Original article taken from University of Rhode Island on January 27, 2022
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Photo courtesy of GRETCHEN MACHT
URI hosted international experts for conference on future of quantum computing
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he University of Rhode Island hosted more than a dozen international experts in the growing field of quantum information science in October for the inaugural Frontiers in Quantum Computing conference in celebration of the launch of URI’s new master’s degree program in quantum computing. The conference took place Oct. 18-20 on URI’s picturesque Kingston Campus amid fall foliage and featured daily talks and a panel focusing on the future of quantum computing, current developments and research, and educational initiatives for future leaders in the field. “We are bringing key quantum information science leaders from all sectors—government, academia and industry— to URI to present the latest developments and frontiers in the theoretical and experimental aspects of quantum computing,” said Vanita Srinivasa, assistant professor of physics and director of URI’s new Quantum Information Science Program. “This is not only the inaugural event for our new degree. This will mark the first major conference on quantum computing for the region, and we want to establish Rhode Island as a center of quantum information science.” “URI’s new Master of Science in Quantum Computing is a meaningful step not only for our region’s quantum workforce development—but also for the U.S. and global quantum ecosystem,” said Christopher Savoie ’92, founder and chief executive officer of Zapata Computing, who is a member of the conference steering committee and will be one of the speakers at the conference. “This inaugural conference is a pioneering effort on the University’s part to launch a regional center for quantum computing—and it’s amazing to return to campus with some of our field’s greatest contributors.”
The list of speakers included U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, who delivered an address on the opening day of the conference, along with pioneers from across the U.S. as well as from Canada, Europe, and Australia. They all provided a look into different areas of quantum computing. With the launch of URI’s master’s program in quantum computing, education was a focus of the conference, and college and high school students were encouraged to attend to learn more about the opportunities in the field and to make professional connections. Among the speakers focusing on education was Professor Chandralekha Singh, president of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Also, students and postdoctoral scientists were invited to present their own work through research posters. “The future of quantum computing will impact us all as we go forward,” said Leonard Kahn, chair of the URI Physics Department. “This is not just for people in physics. This not only affects the STEM disciplines, but also philosophy and the humanities.” Along with Zapata Computing, sponsors for Frontiers in Quantum Computing include IBM and D-Wave, both pioneers in the development of quantum computers.
Original article taken from University of Rhode Island on July 22, 2021
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URI Research Foundation awarded Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant to grow ‘blue economy’
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he University of Rhode Island Research Foundation, in conjunction with Rhode Island Commerce and a regional team focused on the growing blue economy, has successfully competed against hundreds of regional teams across the country to be selected by the U.S. Economic Development Administration as a finalist in the nation-wide Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the finalists for the $1 billion “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” that aims to boost economic pandemic recovery and rebuild American communities. The Build Back Better Regional Challenge provides transformative investments – up to $100 million per grantee – to develop and strengthen regional industry clusters across the country, all while embracing economic equity, creating good-paying jobs, and enhancing U.S. competitiveness globally. The URI Research Foundation’s proposal focuses on Rhode Island’s natural advantages and the density of cross-sector excellence to advance a variety of new “blue” technology capabilities while addressing historically excluded populations and proposing strategies to address economic disparities across the state. Rhode Island is now one of 60 finalist applications out of 529 total that were submitted to receive a phase one planning grant of $500,000 to develop and support three to eight distinct and meaningful projects to grow the cluster. With phase one funding, the URI Research Foundation will work with RI Commerce and the coalition of government, academic, equity and industry partners to develop the infrastructure needed to meet the goals of the coalition. The Research Foundation will be eligible to apply for phase two funding in March 2022, which could provide up to $100 million in funding to implement the initiative. “This is an exciting time for URI,” said University of Rhode Island President Marc Parlange. “We have the resources to support technology and growth while building a robust pipeline of jobs. We have spent years building a network of partners, serving as a bridge between industry and government through vital and impactful translational research. This grant will not only accelerate the work we are currently doing but it will position URI as a powerful engine, fueling the blue economy in the state and the region.” “I’m proud that both applications that Rhode Island submitted to the Federal Economic Development Administration have been named as finalists in the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better regional challenge,” said Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee. “If selected, these proposals in the blue economy and biosciences will strengthen our competitiveness in these two critical industries and will help create high quality, well-paying jobs for our state. I thank the team of partners for their work crafting this strong proposal and our congressional 5
delegation for their strong advocacy on behalf of the Ocean State.” “I helped include $1 billion for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge in the American Rescue Plan Act to make investments in promising programs like the URI Research Foundation’s Blue Economy Technology Cluster,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I commend URI and its economic development partners for putting together a successful phase one application. “We need to make our economy more resilient,” said Reed. “The Rhode Island Blue Economy Technology Cluster will bring more ‘blue’ jobs and businesses to the Ocean State and lead to long-term, sustainable growth across Rhode Island. I hope today’s federal funding leads to a multimillion-dollar phase two award.” “We can build Rhode Island’s economy back better by playing to our advantages, like the growing ocean economy,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a longtime booster of Rhode Island’s blue economy. “This federal award will support the development of a strategic plan for expanding the Ocean State’s blue economy and creating well-paying jobs. I wish the University of Rhode Island, Commerce RI and their partners continued success in the next round of the challenge.” URI has a proven track record of taking on projects that support technology-based investments, increase the number of jobs and wages across the state and the region, and provide pathways to higher pay and business ownership for populations that have been historically excluded. The URI Research Foundation alongside RI Commerce, and other key partners will lead the coalition of industry, government, non-profit and academic organizations to combine their expertise and effort to fundamentally advance new technology development and additional capabilities for use across sectors of the state’s economy. Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor and the Rhode Island Governor’s office are important conveners of the partners in the project: “RI Commerce is pleased to be a lead partner in this effort to strengthen and grow our blue economy,” said Secretary Pryor. “The Governor’s RI 2030 plan and RI Innovates 2.0 conclude that the blue economy can be a key economic driver for the state, creating high quality, well-paying jobs. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with URI and other key stakeholders on this important initiative.”
Original article taken from University of Rhode Island on December 13, 2021
About Us Philanthropic support from corporations and foundations takes many forms, including gifts for facility construction, scholarships, fellowships, and faculty, as well as research, public outreach, internships, sponsorships, technology transfer, diversity programming, and access to education for underserved audiences. As a major office within the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement, the Corporate and Foundation Relations staff offer expertise and guidance to members of the University community in funding strategies, proposal writing and editing, and building relationships with corporations and foundations. We promote the development of interdisciplinary partnerships and help coordinate an effective, University-wide approach to corporate and foundation donors. URI photo by NORA LEWIS
Visit us at urifae.org/cf for more information.
Contact Us Katharine Hazard Flynn Executive Director 401.874.7084 khflynn@uri.edu Sharon Pavignano Associate Director 401.874.5124 spavignano@uri.edu Katie McGwin Associate Director 401.874.9509 kmcgwin@uri.edu Jenn Brackett Grant Writer 401.874.5809 jbrackett@uri.edu Elise Oberley Administrative Assistant 401.874.5631 elise_oberley@uri.edu
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